Wednesday, April 21, 2010

A Sad Day

I just heard very sad news. My friend and hero, Mike Pataki has died. Mike, of course was the voice of George Liquor - as well as your favorite Klingon and many other TV and Movie characters.

Mike was a one of a kind, a totally unique character and actor. He could act, sing, punch and do just about anything you could imagine. The guy had true star quality. Whenever we did recordings together we'd all be in stitches just listening to him ad lib his lines. That's how Mike would get into the role. He would play on our reactions. The more we laughed, the more energy he seemed to get. And he always wanted to do it one more time.

The guy never quit. As the sessions went on, he would sweat more and more, and gradually remove his clothes until he was practically naked-which would only make us laugh more. His constantly inventive portrayals of George made me rethink how I wrote for him.

I don't really know what else to say. I'm still in shock and not very good at putting words together at the moment. I just know he was the best and I'll miss the heck out of him and his zany phone calls.

My love and sympathy go out to his wife, T and his friends and family. If you are a fan of Mike too, please comment and let his loved ones know you loved him too.

Mike was a great friend to me and Li'l Pal. We spent some wonderful Saturday afternoons on the patio at Starbucks trading stories and jokes. He had a huge heart and I'm going to miss him a lot. Tough day.

For as long as I live, I'll never forget that voice of his, it's embedded in my subconscious. Normal people would have to scream at the top of their lungs to convey all the energy and madness he practically whispered in the line "Do you REALLY like it?" That one in particular echoes in the back of my head all the time.

My sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of Mike. Although I did not know him personally, I'm sure he was, and will continue to be, loved by many.

A good friend of mine told me that a man is not truly gone until he is forgotten. And I'm sure, with the way Mike was in life, he will never be forgotten. And he'll be in everyone's hearts and minds forever. Take care.

Wow. Sad and terrible news. He gave George such a perfect and memorable voice, and of course his Korax was just the best. Condolences to his family, but at least we have great work to remember him by. He won't be forgotten.

Mr. Pataki was truly one of the highlights of Ren and Stimpy. George Liquor will stand in the pantheon of great cartoon characters, and his voice was a large part of the reason for it. My sincere condolences to his family.

I didn't know Mike personally but I had the great opportunity of assisting in a recording Mike did at Cartoon Network for a guest spot he had on Out of Jimmy's Head. It was instantly obvious that he was a professional of the highest calibre, giving us take after take of amazing lines as well as being able to adapt to direction with nary a moment to think about it. I even got to show him where the restrooms are located. It was amazing to watch him work.

What terrible and tragic news :(I'm so sorry to hear that, John.Mike was my absolute favorite voice actor and was especially at his best as George Liquor. Just like you and the Spumco crew, he had me in stitches. He will be greatly missed.

what a terrible birthday present for me. the man was one of my favourite voice actors. you can hear how much he got into his work, and that means a lot to me. condolences to those who had the privilege of knowing him.

He truly was my favourite Klingon. And so, so funny as George Liquor. A terribly sad loss. Being a friend and so tied to one of your best creations, it must feel like you've lost two friends but then I guess that's a testament to his talent.

Mike was an amazing voice actor. I mean he was George Liquor! He was great!! I remember listening to him as himself on the Ren and Stimpy commentaries. He was hilarious!! I'd play the commentaries with Mike in them to my friends and we would laugh so much at the crazy things he'd say. He was awesome! I'll miss you Mike and George. God bless and RIP.

I didn't expect that. I was shocked when I first read it on cartoon brew. It's sad that people can't be eternal like cartoons, but he will live through the character of George Liquor . My condolences to the family.

One of my favorite lines from Pataki as Liquor was from "Dog Show" (referring to dog tails): "What's this crap? Your dog have one of these? Yeah, I'll bet it does." Just the way he delivered that cracks me up.

Mike's George Liquor was one of the greatest voices in the history of animation. It contained so many nuances. It wasn't just the voice of a retired, salty man, it was the voice of a very specific and unique salty man. The drawing of the character and the voice fit like a glove.

It's horrible to think that Mike isn't with us anymore. I'm just glad that that he had his wife with him in his last years.

Truly sad to hear this. I've always enjoyed his work, going all the way back to his guest role on "All In The Family" where he addressed Archie as "Mr. Bummer" to his very distinctive voice work for Mighty Mouse and Spumco. A truly unique voice and a great performer.

George had one of the best voices in the business. I'm saddened to know my ears won't be graced by his voice again, except when I go back to watch Man's Best Friend. My condolences to all who were close to him.

Mike Pataki was an amazing, talented voice actor. He is the reason why I will always remember George Liquor. I remember when he would appear in the Ren and Stimpy episodes. He was absolutely brilliant. Ren and Stimpy in Man's Best Friend was one of his best work in my opinion.

I wish I could have met him. He seemed like such an amazing man. He will never be forgetten.

On bad days. Hearing the hilrious Mr. Pataki, along with some good old fashioned chips and salsa, seemed to make my life just a little bit better. :) he will be missed, and I will never forget what Mr. Pataki has done for me.

When Wayne Allwine, voice of Mickey Mouse, died a while back, my thoughts were "Aw, that's too bad... but I'm sure they can use some new blood in their voice cast." With Michael gone, though, one wonders, how to even go on? How many characters are there who were so sculpted by their voice, the inflections and nuances dictating new directions for the character to go, new behaviors, even particular drawings to suit a particular pronunciation?

I don't think anyone would blame you for a minute if you wanted to retire George Liquor from animation completely, John. I'm sure the thought's crossed your head already. That being said, though, I'm sure Michael would be thrilled to see further adventures of a character that he had such palpable affection for.

Anita,Although Mike is one the best cartoon voices ever, he was still just a little kid when Tin Pan Alley Cats was made. But imagine how crazy that would be if he did do that voice at such a young age.

I wish I had the pleasure of meeting Mike...I'm just...ok I'll say it... I love Mike Pataki!

I'll always remember being at work and hearing his voice coming out of the recording booth across the hall. "That's The Cow! Holy Shit!" I and and many others at Spumco that day were in awe. I gotta say, seeing him make it through some of those George Liquor records, I figured the guy was immortal.I'll miss hearing more of his work.

i had the honor of meeting the man once. what a cool, awesome inspirational person he was! he was the perfect counterpart for john k and jim smith's manly drawing skills. of course i regret that the george liquor program was not greenlit into a long running series while he still graced the earth with his PRESENCE, but i am also very thankful for the awesome body of work that he has completed and which will remain with us for perpetuity so that we may continue to enjoy his manly humanity and demonstrate to our young male offspring what it is to be a man. thank you Mr. Pataki and may you rest in peace.

John,I don't know if this is the ideal thread for this, but here's the info & link for a "Pataki sample piece" I was polishing to share with the Web-World the day beFore I heard the sad news.and Hey !, I look to be "Comment 100" here . . seems significant somehow, no ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMVtkA4AR6E

Since 1st creating this piece in 2003, which so prominently features the inspiringly unhinged performance of Mike Pataki as The Cow from "Mighty Mouse : The New Adventures", I've thought I should get it 'out there'. "Maybe Mike himself would get a series of kicks out it" I dreamed . . and if it wasn't quite his cuppa' tea, then a lot of fans might !

April 20th of 2010, I strap on the headphones for the 1st time in ages & truly enjoy several of my own pieces like I hadn't in quite some time . . with "Horny Hunting ( Get Mighty ! )" out in front for "excited to share status".I actually got a few hours into assembling an iMovie project when a search for more Pataki images led to the sad news from John K's blog. It had only been 5 days since he'd passed. Now a different, deeper spirit took my work thru the next week.

But does the piece now take on a solemn tone ? . . Please !!It's even more a celebration of The Cow & cohorts then ever !

Built on loops n' links from C+C Music Factory's track "Oooh Baby", the amount of samples from "Mighty Mouse" are nearly matched by samples from "The Future Is Wild" . . . the 2003 documentary about imaginary animals after humans are gone.There's also a couple a' quick cameos from The Terminator & Catwoman.And oh yeah !, the whole premise would seem to be "The mating dance continues as the apocalypse crashes down around us"

Not wanting a video to dominate or distract from the "audio immersion", I briefly consider a static-shot of the song-art we see thruout, but that's not what the video wanted to be and it evolved. I think it still strikes a balance, but maybe you make an audio file for the "original experience" ? . . . or perhaps you just close your eyes for a 3rd listen and enjoy the unmatched talents of Mr. Michael Pataki !

Michael was my uncle and i will miss him so very much! I will never forget all the times he made me laugh over the phone while i was pregnant, i dont think i could of made it through it without him. I love him very much and will never forget everything he did and just how much he made me laugh! I am so very proud to call him my uncle!